


Bonds

by Preciouslittletoonette



Series: The Bonds of a True Chosen [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Justice League - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug, Teen Titans - All Media Types
Genre: Bad Parent Gabriel Agreste, Bad Parent Talia al Ghul, Bruce Wayne Has Issues, Bruce Wayne Needs a Hug, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Feelings, Creepy Ra's al Ghul, Damian Wayne is Bad at Feelings, F/F, F/M, Forced Marriage, Gonna try and write a more accurate Damian, Good Chloé Bourgeois, Kwamis Are Gods, M/M, Minor Character Death, Multi, Original Character(s), Protective Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Protective Batfamily (DCU), Protective Damian Wayne, Protective Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Protective Parent Bruce Wayne, Slow Burn, Tim Drake/Ra's al Ghul (one-sided) - Freeform, Violence is a thing so beware, a little bit of world-building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:01:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24901249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Preciouslittletoonette/pseuds/Preciouslittletoonette
Summary: " My dear students, the bonds you hold with those you love will be your most sacred possessions. And the new bonds you create will be your next greatest treasure"What seemed like a normal winter morning for Adrien and Marinette becomes more complicated than one would imagine.And in the middle of crisis, Damian is forced back to the League. And the first thing he hears is that he's getting married.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste & Félix Graham de Vanily, Adrien Agreste & Luka Couffaine, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne, Adrien Agreste/Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne & Jason Todd, Chloe Bourgeois/OC, Damian Wayne & Alfred Pennyworth, Damian Wayne & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Tim Drake & Duke Thomas & Cassandra Cain, Lê Chiến Kim/Ondine, Marinette Dupain-Cheng & Adrien Agreste & Damian Wayne, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne
Series: The Bonds of a True Chosen [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1801849
Comments: 33
Kudos: 173





	Bonds

**Author's Note:**

> Wanted to create a Adridaminette story (crossing into vague territory folks, pray for me) and this was born. Somewhat inspired by Fate Knows Best and To marry an assassin. Plot-based but not too heavily. I hope you'll enjoy reading this.
> 
> P.S: Team Miraculous and Damian are around 18- 21.

_Paris_

  
_20_ _January_ _2019_

_There was fire everywhere._

_The screams of innocents and the cackling laughter of akumas resonated through the air._

_And Adrien planned to make all of it stop._

* * *

" ADRIEN! WAKE UP!"

19-year-old Adrien Agreste (though he goes by his mother's maiden name, Graham de Vanily, nowadays) groaned as he rolled in his bed to get away from his kwami, Plagg, who took it upon himself to be Adrien's alarm clock that morning apparently.

" What do you want, Plagg?", Adrien asked tiredly.

" Not even a good morning, Plagg! Not even a thank you for waking me up, Plagg! Just a 'what do you want, Plagg? Has 5 years of partnership mean nothing to you, kid?!", Plagg said dramatically.

Adrien snorted before turning around to look in his kwami's direction, a small smile on his face," I'm sorry. Good morning, Plagg", he said lazily.

" Nope! Too late! I may not even forgive you this! I've never felt more disrespected!", Plagg said turning his back on Adrien.

Adrien chuckled," Plagg, c'mon! I didn't mean it so harshly", he said amused," And here I thought you'd take my forgiveness camembert as a peace offering", he said with a fake sigh of sadness.

" Camembert!", Plagg said excitedly," I forgive you, Adrien!", he said flying into his chosen's cheek and purring happily.

Adrien smiled," Thank you, Plagg. Let me just get it from the fridge", he said as he slowly got out of bed.

Adrien had long sinced moved from the cold walls of the Agreste Mansion and all of that stiffness he once felt had finally melted away. He gathered all the money he earned from modelling (and even though he'd publicly deny, privately he'd admit he may have withdrawn a few thousand euros from both his father's and Nathalie's account before they were frozen). With the money he pulled together, he had managed to buy an apartment in the 2nd Arrondissement, with enough left over to last him a few months.

It's been a year and 2 months since the defeat of Hawk Moth and the death of Mayura. Gabriel Agreste had been publicly outed by the Ladyblog (even though Ladybug demanded the footage not be shown) and arrested for terrorism. And much to Adrien's relief, he had been sentenced for life, meaning Adrien would never have to see him again.

Unfortunately, with the reveal of Hawk Moth being Gabriel Agreste, Adrien's popularity and credibility had taken a near unrecoverable fall. People are wary of him, people glare at him, hell some people outright attacked him once (and man the beatings those people had gotten from Viperion and Roi Singe must have hurt, but the warning stood: Attack Adrien and Team Miraculous will beat your ass like an akuma). His once perfect model face was scarred and the marks stayed.

It became a reminder to him that even though he was not at fault for his father's crimes, people will always be wary of him, people will always despise him for his father's wrongdoings, they will never trust him again.

But that was fine. Because they're people who trust him, who know he's innocent and he betted that there will be someone who will learn to trust him. And that was really all that mattered to him.

Plagg waited eagerly near Adrien as he took out a small can," You're gonna have savour this one, Plagg. This is probably the last I can buy until Luka can get the band another gig", he said.

Plagg nodded as he took the can, scooping out a tiny bit and eating it, sighing happily. Camembert consumption had been rather tight the last few months, especially since the last stash from the mansion had been consumed during that time. 

Plagg wasn't ignorant. He knew exactly how important money was in modern society. And he knew it constantly stressed Adrien, to the point the kwami of Destruction had to threaten Adrien by calling the rest of the team over and telling them he's been holding off of buying food for days, forcing the boy to go grocery shopping.

Even with the hardships that are being faced, the kwami was at least glad Adrien was doing something he enjoyed. After the separation of Kitty Section, Luka had formed a new band: The Pariah Colony; where the social outcasts come together to form a rocking community (as Adrien had put it). After Gabriel's arrest, the snake hero had approached Adrien with the offer of a position in the band and the boy had taken to it like a dog to a bone. Luka had, also, offered a room at his place but Adrien had declined that offer, wanting to try and do things on his own. Which Plagg understood. But he hated seeing his kitten stress over money and tries to lighten the load.

Plagg would even eat processed cheese (even though he shudders at the thought) if it meant Adrien stressed less about the money.

" Now breakfast. What to make, what to make?", Adrien asked himself.

Adrien wasn't much of a cook, which made for a difficult time during the first few months of independence. Usually Marinette would come over and they'd have breakfast together, but Plagg had woken Adrien up an entire hour early ( why Plagg?!) so Marinette wouldn't arrive for another hour and a half. At least, he could make himself scrambled eggs and toast in the current time.

The smell of eggs on the pan made Adrien's stomach grumble in hunger. He honestly wondered if he ate at all last night.

'Probably not', he thought. He'd get scolded out by Plagg later. Now, he just needed food.

He scrapped the eggs off the pan onto the plate on the small table before grabbing two slices of toast. Glass of juice in hand and Adrien silently went on to eat his breakfast.

The silence of the apartment wasn't as suffocating as the mansion. Adrien mused it was because of the small talks between eating with Plagg, or the fact there isn't the haunting weight someone droning next to his ear about what he'll be doing that day.

Should he feel guilty about not missing Nathalie?

Her funeral was a small affair. Only her parents, cousin and the few friends she had, had came. Adrien only stuck around for the viewing, to snatch the peacock miraculous off her body so that he and Marinette could finally fix it.

Speaking of Marinette.

There were still days he spent in disbelief that she fought for him to become her co-Guardian. He knew he wasn't the best and most reliable in the beginning, especially considering events like the Frozer akuma or the Glacieator akuma, and the infamous Syren akuma. Oh how he cringed as he remembered Syren. Those were some of his worst memories of his teen self. How Master Fu ever trusted him after that was a miracle in itself.

He felt a sad pang in his chest as he thought about Master Fu. The man had passed peacefully months ago in his own home and Adrien's heart still ached at his memories of his mentor and he's certain Marinette still grieved in her quietest moments, she had known him longer after all.

Adrien broke off a tiny piece of egg and toast and held it out to Plagg. The kwami ate the pieces given to him and hummed.

" It's getting better", Plagg said with a hum.

" Really?", Adrien said happily surprised," You think I'll be as good as Mari or Luka some day?".

Plagg snorted," Nope. Your cooking is subpar, kitten, not tasty but it's at least edible this time", he said amused.

Adrien pouted at the small jab.

" Chin up, kid! You're improving at least, Pigtails and Sugarcube will be proud", Plagg said patting Adrien's hand lightly.

Adrien smiled gratefully," Thanks Plagg", he said.

Suddenly his phone rang and Adrien frowned. Who would be calling at 4 in the morning? Plagg flew over and grabbed the phone to hand to his chosen.

" It's Pigtails", Plagg said as Adrien took his phone.

Adrien frowned as he answered," Nettie? Everything okay?".

" Hey kitty, did I wake you?", Marinette asked nervously through the phone.

" No. I was awake. Courtesy of Plagg", Adrien said eyeing his kwami who merely grinned back at him.

He heard Marinette giggle through the speaker," What a wake up call, huh".

" Yep. But hey! He's better than most alarm clocks", Adrien joked before getting serious," Is there a reason you called me, Bug?".

Marinette sighed," It's probably just nothing", she said.

" It can't be nothing if you're up earlier than usual. Did your heater break or something? Do you want to come over?", Adrien asked, a blush creeping up his neck.

He couldn't help feeling giddy. He and Marinette have been together for nearly a year and still Adrien can't help but feel happy that he and his princess, his beloved lady, was together.

" No, the heater's fine, Chloe made sure we got the best and most durable. It's just.... something feels off today", Marinette said. 

" Off like how?", Adrien aaked concerned.

" Just.... off...", Marinette said, confusion clear in her voice," Like.... something- I don't know".

" Like something bad is gonna happen?", Adrien wondered.

" .... Maybe....", Marinette said quietly.

Adrien bit his bottom lip. Marinette was always in tune with her instincts. So if she felt like something bad was gonna happen, then something serious was happening.

" How bad do you think it'll be?", Adrien asked.

" Pretty bad", Marinette said with a sigh," Maybe I'm just paranoid-"

" Paranoia is good at times. Makes people more vigilant. It only gets bad when it starts affecting the positive relationships you do have", Adrien said sweetly," How about we head to your parents'? They're usually awake by now, right?".

" Yes, they'd start cleaning the bakery by now. Maybe a small visit wouldn't hurt", Marinette said," And a little breakfast wouldn't hurt too".

" I ate already but an early breakfast with the Dupain-Cheng family sounds delightful", Adrien said, grinning when he heard Marinette giggle.

" Alright Kit-Kat. Will I be meeting you there or should I be expecting Chat Noir to climb into my bedroom window again", Marinette said teasingly.

" Well what kind of knight would I be if I let my princess walk all on her lonesome in the cold unforgiving Paris mornings", Adrien teased back," I'll be there in five minutes".

" I'll see you then. Love you"

" Love you too, M'lady", Adrien replied before ending the call. He frowned a little as he placed his phone in his pocket," Plagg, do you really think something bad is gonna happen?".

The kwami frowned," I'm not sure, kid. A Ladybug's instincts is almost never wrong", he said.

Adrien frowned as he got dressed," I really hope its wrong this time", he said as he finished changing into something warmer," Alright, I'm ready. Plagg, Claws Out!".

It was still rather dark out, it being in the middle of winter, so there was a lot less civilians out and about. Chat Noir climbed out of the apartment window and bolted away. But unbeknownst to the hero....

... He was being watched....

" Sightings on Chat Noir. Permission to engage"

" Permission denied. I don't want Ladybug catching wind of our plan too early nor catching the attention of the rest of the team. Remember, my father wants both the Ladybug and the Black Cat"

" Of course, Lady Talia"

" However, do keep an eye on him. He's going to Ladybug and from there they'll be visiting her parents. They're going to have quite a pleasant surprise awaiting them.

* * *

Who would've thought Chloé Bourgeois and Marinette Dupain-Cheng would end up sharing an apartment together?

No one, that's who.

Not even their own team had seen them moving in together. The apartment (more like penthouse from Marinette's perspective) was a gift from Andre Bourgeois for Chloe's 18th birthday. She had the choice of either living alone or having a roommate and Chloe had practically dragged Marinette to their new place. Which was fine with Marinette after some deep thoughts. It made transforming and getting away easier since Chloe was a hero too.

And that wasn't the only advantage. Chloe's penthouse had thermal flooring and every bedroom was equipped with a heater while the lounge had a fireplace. Which was a practical gift from the heavens for them both because of certain.... traits bestowed onto them by the miraculous.

It was an experience for the whole team. Gaining new abilities and tendencies was like going through puberty all over again (Kim and Alix nearly cried when that comparison was made). Eventually Luka's grip became as strong as a python, smoke came out of Kagami's nose and mouth whenever she was furious (it became more prominent as Ryuuko), Adrien along with Alix, Luka and Kim were whole lot agile and faster and Chloe would start subconsciously buzzing whenever she was excited or irritated. There were so many more and many different moments of laughs and close calls. 

Though at the current moment, it would seem Marinette would be on top of the list of the most weirdest tendency.

For the last few days Marinette had felt a weird itch on her back. It wasn't anything she felt she should be concerned about until the itch persisted. She had bought ointments but it still persisted. But it seemed like she finally got her answers as two things were starting to sprout out her back.

And it made Tikki rather excited.

" Congratulations Marinette! It seems like your wings are finally growing out!".

" Wings", Marinette said quietly. _Fucking wings._

" Yep! Oh I'm so proud! It's rare for my Ladybugs to gain wings at such a young age", Tikki said as she hovered over her chosen's back.

" I have wings", Marinette said in disbelief," Or at least I'm growing some. Chloé can never find out about this, she'll never let me live this down".

" Her time will come too", Tikki said reassuringly as knocking was heard from the window.

" That's probably Adrien", Marinette mumbled.

" I'll let him in", Tikki said before flying away while her chosen continued to gawk at her growing wings.

Tikki zipped over to the window and opened it, allowing Chat Noir to slip into the room.

" Morning Adrien".

" Good morning, Tikki. Where's Marinette?", Adrien asked politely.

" Getting ready in the bathroom. She'll be out soon", Tikki replied.

" Thanks Tikki, Claws In", Adrien said before he detransformed.

" Sugarcube!", Plagg yelled happily as he barreled into Tikki before the two flew off somewhere.

Adrien shook his head with an amused smile on his face before heading to the bathroom door.

" Hey Princess, it's me"

" Hey kitty. Give me a second and I'll be right out", Marinette said from behind the door.

Soon Marinette stepped out of the bathroom, dressed rather snuggly with her coat, hat, scarf and gloves.

" Snug as a bug in the rug, huh", Adrien teased.

" Hush you", Marinette said slapping his arm before chuckling.

Adrien chuckled as well," Ready to go?", he asked.

" Yep!", Marinette said before calling their kwamis over.

" Should we tell Chloé?", Adrien asked.

" I'd rather not disturb her right now. She might get a fit for the time we're waking her up at", Marinette said.

" Yeah, I'd rather not wake the sleeping duchess", Adrien said before they quietly made it through the apartment before leaving through the front door.

The morning was colder than Marinette expected, shivering a little at the coldness around her. She felt Adrien pull her close and she leaned into his warmth.

" So.... how's living alone?", Marinette asked.

" You ask me that every time we see each other", Adrien said," But it's great. It's nice feeling independent".

" I still would feel better if you had taken Luka's offer", Marinette said.

" I know Bug. But hey, I did take up his offer to be his keyboardist for Pariah Colony! Now you've got a hot, ex-model boyfriend in a rock band", Adrien said wriggling his eyebrow," And plus, I've got more free time than ever. All the more time to spend with the crew and you", he said sweetly.

" Aww...", Marinette cooed as Adrien kissed her forehead.

" Ew.... affection", Plagg groaned.

" Quiet Plagg, it's cute", Tikki yelled.

The two young adults chuckled and continued walking and chatting.

" So have you heard from Félix?", Marinette asked.

Félix Graham de Vanily, Grade A little shit and Adrien's cousin from his mum's side. Marinette and him's first meeting was one would describe as 'catastrophic'. It ended with Kagami having to restrain Marinette from clocking the London boy right where he stood. Fortunately for everyone, Félix had cleaned up at his act and Marinette and him were on friendly terms. Friendly enough for Marinette to consider letting him have Trixx. 

It was supposed to be a one time thing until Marinette noticed the markings that appeared on Félix's wrist once he detransformed. The Mark of a True Chosen, a physical representation of the Bond between a kwami and its True Chosen, the person destined to wield that specific miraculous. Seeing Félix with the Mark had changed things, especially since it basically confirmed Félix to be the True Fox. It drove Marinette to the decision of actually letting him keep the miraculous, on the strict condition that his hero persona was never to be seen outside of Paris. 

Knowing Félix he'd probably take this as a means to transform anyway. But both Marinette and Adrien both knew he'd stay out of sight, which brought them great comfort.

" Yeah! He finally convinced Aunt Amelie to let him study here in Paris", Adrien said happily," Well not really convinced. He already signed up, got accepted and paid the entry fee so he's practically a student at the university already", he said shaking his head," Classic Félix".

" So is he staying on campus or with you?", Marinette asked.

" He's been talking about moving in with me lately. You know he's not really a people's person", Adrien said.

" Then I hope you realise Félix will DEFINITELY not be living with you in that apartment. I'm pretty sure he'd buy out a whole penthouse and move you in there randomly", Marinette joked.

" Speaking from personal experience, aren't we?", Adrien teased.

They laughed together as they walked pass College Francois DuPont, the bakery in sight.

Adrien whistled," Who knew college would have been so dramatic? And then there was lycee-", he said as they stopped to gaze at the school," Man, there are days where I want to forget lycee ever happened".

" But you've gotta admit, our greatest experiences happened in those days", Marinette said.

" We also met the greatest pain in our side", Adrien added.

" Lila", they said in unison.

" Man am I glad Hawk Moth is defeated. Her akumas were really annoying", Marinette said.

" Y'know, sometimes I thought she worked with my father.... as his accomplice like Nathalie", Adrien said thoughtfully.

" Y'know, I think so too. But I doubt the police would investigate into that. We don't have anything to back up for it", Marinette said," Besides, everyone believes the battle is over. With Gabriel in prison and Nathalie dead, who else can terrorize Paris?".

" That's the scary part. Anyone can, because the butterfly miraculous is still missing", Adrien said with a sigh as he gazed over at the bakery.

Which was strangely enough still dark.

" Hey, shouldn't the bakery lights be on by now?", Adrien asked.

Marinette frowned deeply, worry evident on her face," It should.... something's wrong", she said before she and Adrien practically sprinted to the bakery door.

Marinette peeked through the window and worried about the lack of life. She had really hoped it was just a power outage.

" M'lady....", Adrien said quietly as he pointed at the obvious scuffs of where the door handle used to be.

Marinette looked on in dread," Someone must have broke in", she said as Adrien pushed the door open.

Immediately stepping inside, Adrien could tell something was wrong. There was a strong scent in the air, that was familiar but Adrien couldn't pinpoint it. And Marinette felt the same.

The two heroes stilled as Adrien heard something above them. Footsteps and whispering. But they didn't belong to either Marinette's parents, which made Adrien worry.

They quietly advanced towards the stairs. Adrien took a detour into the bakery kitchen before coming back with a knife in hand. Marinette glared at it disapprovingly but moved on. 

To Adrien, it was like the whispering and the footsteps suddenly stopped because all he heard was Marinette and the kwamis occasional sniffing and the silence around them. That made his worry increase and the grip on the knife tighten.

He didn't know if this was a petty everyday criminal or a supervillain who figured out their identities, but like hell was Adrien not gonna go into a possible war zone without any weapon.

They stopped in front of the door leading them to the living room and kitchen, noticing the door was slightly ajar. 

" I have a bad feeling about this", Adrien heard Plagg murmur.

Adrien looked worriedly to Marinette who glanced at him before they both stepped back and made a running jump and kick at the door, hoping to catch the assailant off guard. But the living room was empty, save for two people who sat on the couch strangely.

" Maman! Papa!", Marinette yelled in relief but something felt off to Adrien.

The smell from earlier was stronger here.

That was when he heard Marinette's pained scream. His instincts as the Black Cat screamed at him to protect the Ladybug and found himself at Marinette's side before his mind could even register that he moved. He then realised exactly why she screamed and what exactly that smell was when they entered the bakery.

Blood poured from the cut throats of Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng, the scent of earlier at its strongest. Adrien confirmed the scent they smelled earlier was blood, not decaying corpse, which meant they were killed rather recently if the blood still leaving their neck said anything.

Adrien then turned to the room and assessed the area. Things were definitely in a state of disarray, the chairs of the kitchen table were destroyed and a lamp had been smashed to pieces; clears signs of a struggle. He continued mentally assessing the room until he saw what he wanted to see: near the staircase leading to Marinette's old room were splatters of blood, leading from the stairs to the couch; meaning they were moved from the place they were initially killed to the couch to be in a position of normalcy until the true horror revealed itself.

It was sickening.

Adrien turned to Marinette who was in hysterics beside him. He pulled her up into an embrace and held her. He didn't care if there was snot on his jacket so long as she knew he was there for her. 

Eventually her sobs turned to hiccups and she moved away from Adrien. 

" I-I'm sorry", Marinette said quietly.

" Don't apologise, you came to your home to your parents' dead bodies. You have every right to cry", Adrien said reassuringly," They put up quite a fight from what I can tell from the scene".

Marinette blinked away the last of her tears before straightening up," Yeah.... right, this is a crime scene. Uh... did you see anything peculiar?", she asked as she looked around," We may need to call the police soon....", she murmured as she turned away from her parents.

" Besides the blood trail and the signs of struggle, most likely from your folks fighting back", Adrien said.

Marinette squinted at a piece of dark green fabric sticking the stairs," What's that?", she asked as she walked over to it, picking it up from the floor with her gloved hands.

" None of your parents are wearing any green. This has to be the killer's or someone connected to them!", Adrien said.

" You think it was more than one person?", Marinette asked.

" I doubt just one person could kill both your parents. Your dad's a giant and your mom's black belt in many martial arts", Adrien reasoned.

" True", Marinette said thoughtfully as the kwamis took a peek a the fabric.

" Plagg....", Tikki started," You don't think it's.... him right?".

Plagg shrugged before sniffing it. His relaxed posture turned rigid but his tail lashed out violently," I smell Lazarus....", he growled, surprising Adrien and Marinette.

" Plagg, what's-"

" Transform"

" Wha-"

" Don't ask questions just transf-"

Slow clapping was heard and Marinette and Adrien immediately jumped back. They looked up at the hatch and stepped back cautiously as gorgeous woman in a revealing green dress stepped into the light of the living room.

Something inside them screamed at them to run. Plagg and Tikki liked to say it's their predecessors warning them of danger. 

" I must say.... it's an honour to be amongst some of the most respected beings in the universe. My father speaks quite highly of the Ladybug and the Black Cat", the woman said smoothly.

" Who are you?!", Marinette yelled.

" Talia al Ghul, Daughter of the Demon Head. Your little.... gods should be quite familiar with my family", she said nonchalantly.

" AL GHUL! YOU STAY AWAY FROM MY CHOSEN!", Plagg roared.

" Plagg!", Adrien yelled as he pulled his kwami away from the woman Talia.

" So this is the Plagg my father told me stories about", Talia said with a hum," Quite smaller than I imagined".

" Why I oughtta- Adrien release me! I'm gonna show this mythic bitch what for", Plagg said.

" What do you want with our kwamis?", Marinette asked.

Talia laughed, it was a beautiful sound if it didn't send chills down Adrien and Marinette's spines," Oh young bug, it's not the kwamis we want-"

In an instant, they were surrounded by heavily armed men as Talia pulled out a bloody katana. It seemed like Marinette and Adrien were backed into a corner.

" -We want you....", she ended calmly.

Adrien gazed around the room and noted there wasn't any possible exits. They were surrounded by possibly well trained men and women who would definitely kill them if they stepped out of line. Miss Talia's men had guns, swords and possible professional training, while Adrien and Marinette had their kwamis, their wits and the environment around them.

In some stories, the odds are obviously stacked in the villains' favour. But this was Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste, luck is their _bitch_.

If anything, this was the normal bidaily akuma battle of the 1st to 4th year of being Miraculous wielders. 

While Talia turned away for a second, Adrien took note of the environment again. Escape places were limited. There was bigger chance of there being more goons in Marinette's room and the bakery below. Which left the windows (hitting the ground won't be a problem if they're transformed by that time). There was an abandoned frying pan on the ground and the knife from the bakery.

He could work with that.

He grabbed hold of Marinette's hand and began tapping his index finger against her palm. Marinette glanced back at him and blinked once.

Gosh he loved it when they didn't need words to communicate.

It all happened in afew seconds, Adrien threw the knife, striking an assassin in the eye. He barely grabbed the pan and Marinette before someone started shooting, praying PUBG logic would somehow find itself in his world.

" Plagg, Claws Out!"

" Tikki, Spots On!"

They both screamed as they crashed through the window. Adrien had taken the brunt of the crash as glass dug into his back. But fortunately, the pain faded away as he transformed into Chat Noir. He and Ladybug landed on the ground, though rather ungracefully.

Talia gritted her teeth in irritation as they got away," Get them! And bring them back ALIVE!", she roared.

Assassins practically poured out of the Dupain-Cheng bakery and household as they ran after the two escaping heroes of Paris.

It was a miracle no one in Paris had witnessed all of that.

Ladybug and Chat Noir ran across the rooftop, heading for a large, open space while trying not to look back at the assassins behind them. They hoped being on their home grounds would give them an advantage but as they ran their minds began to doubt.

Marinette really hoped her ladybug luck would pull through for real this time

* * *

  
Chloé's eyes snapped open, a loud buzzing sound resonated in her mind.

Something's wrong in her hive.

She practically threw her blanket off (reminding herself to apologise to poor Pollen who had been sleeping later) and sprinted to Marinette's bedroom. She practically nearly busted the door down to enter her leader's room and paled when she saw Marinette's bed empty.

" My Queen, what is wrong?", Pollen asked concerned as Chloé went into a panic.

The buzzing noise in her head grew louder.

" Pollen, something's wrong", Chloé said as she dialed Adrien's number, cursing when it went to voicemail.

The entire team had two different sets of phones, one for personal and the other for hero work (the latter being connected with their respective weapons). The team had established an entire set of rules when it came to 'the other phones': the first rule being that the phone only be used in case of extreme circumstances where dire help is needed.

" Discord in the hive, my Queen?"

And it seemed things were beginning to look dire.

Chloé clutched her head in pain," More like distress", she said as she tried to call Marinette, cursing again when the Eurasian girl didn't pick up her phone.

She went through her contacts and pressed on the name 'Snake Charmer', waiting impatiently as the phone rang. After a few seconds, the tired voice of Luka Couffaine droned on through the speaker.

" Viperion here, state your business"

" It's Hornet. Transform now"

Chloe could hear Luka moving around," What happened?".

" I can feel distress coming from Bug and Chat. They're in trouble", Chloe said quickly as she marched out of Marinette's bedroom.

If Chloé calling him didn't wake him up completely, Luka was certainly alert now.

" Shit"

" I'm gonna transform. Call in everyone"

" Everyone?"

" Everyone"

Before Luka could say anything else, Chloé ended the call and tossed her phone aside. Adrien and Marinette were in trouble, there was no time to waste.

" Ready Pollen?"

" Ready, my Queen"

" Pollen, Buzz On!"

Chloé had long since moved on from her Queen Bee days (in fact most of the time, she cringed as she remembered her debut). These past 4-5 years had been filled with self-reflection and moments of low times, but eventually she reached her true potential.

Queen Bee had left the throne, and Duchess Hornet took over, becoming the right-hand gal for Ladybug and Chat Noir and deputy leader of Team Miraculous beside Viperion (it was more than what she ever hoped to be).

Duchess Hornet's suit was much different from Queen Bee's. Her mask was now visor sunglasses that worked similar to the eye of a bee and she had now fuzzy cuffs around her wrists, collar, waist and boots (now heels). Her hair was also now in two different cone-shaped buns with black streaks. Her spinning top still rested at her hips.

Duchess Hornet slipped through the window and climbed her way up to the roofs. She gazed around, honing in on the members of her hive. Her visors gave her vision similar to how Ladybug would spot solutions, but the difference was that in Chloé's monochromatic vision, a few scattered glowing yellow spots appeared. Those spots represented the members of the team and Duchess found herself honing in one two close, wildly moving spots.

Ladybug and Chat Noir

She jumped away with only the grace and power of a miraculous wielder towards to where her leaders were struggling.

* * *

It was becoming increasingly harder to fight them off.

Chat extended his baton in a quick motion, hitting an assassin in the centre of his chest before smacking the staff up his jaw. A quiet but audible snap was heard.

He hated killing, but it was kill or br killed battle at the moment.

There was an entire horde of them, multiplying like bacteria and both Chat Noir and Ladybug knew they'd be overwhelmed sooner or later. Ladybug from her angle could see Talia standing in the shadows, analyzing them.

Like little test subjects.

Ladybug spin-wrapped at least 8 assassins before launching them into the sky. Pulling her yoyo back, she then wrapped up another assassin before swinging him around knocking others off their feet before she tossed him into the air too.

She glared in Talia's direction and ran towards her, rage clouding her vision as she tore through the assassins. 

She will avenge her parents.

* * *

The worse part about Luka's apartment was how far it was from Trocadero.

Viperion sprinted across the rooftops with the speed and flexibility of a snake. It was a wonder why there weren't Parisians around when the snake hero could feel the vibrations of probably a thousand feet on the rooftops. An inexperienced hero would wonder where the police were, but Viperion had been active for roughly 5 years now. Team Miraculous had learned the hard way that the police won't help most of the time, especially since Adrien's attackers got away with a slap on the wrist.

(Luka's blood still boiled as he remembered the day. But Bunnyx reassured him that Adrien will get justice).

Speaking of Bunnyx. 

Alix had only been Bunnyx for 2 out of the 5 years since the battle against Hawk Moth and Mayura but she had already become a cryptid on the team, even more so than Bug and Chat (who lost most of their mystery after the identity reveal). But Bunnyx was a cryptic little gremlin, disappearing random times and coming back telling everyone she's 'done guiding her little demon gremlin on the right path' and it was nice to admit Viperion had some understanding to what she means.

Some.

Viperion's heart dropped as he heard the soumd of swords clashing. In the distance he could see Ryuuko and Roi Singe running towards the scene and Duchess Hornet already in the fray. 

But it was what happened next that truly broke the forever calm Viperion.

* * *

Talia stared underwhelmed at the raging Ladybug heading towards her. She wasn't afraid. Oh she wasn't. She had spent months preparing for this and her father had spent years for the Ladybug and Black Cat to be chosen. She had contingencies for her back-up contingency plan and so far everything was going smoothly with only a few mere creases.

So she stood back and stared, only muttering one word.

" Fire"

* * *

Chaos was one of the many words Duchess Hornet could use to describe the battle going on around her. Assassins surrounded them and they were barely keeping it together. Chat Noir hadn't even cracked a single witty joke or pun since she arrived, showing just how stressful the situation truly is. 

She risked a glance at the rooftops and felt her heavy heart grow hopeful as she spied Ryuuko and Roi Singe flying into battle and Viperion hiding in the shadows.

But that hope died when an ear-piercing scream that shook the souls of every present member of Team Miraculous.

" LADYBUG!!", Chat Noir cried out.

Ladybug swayed before falling to the ground, a shiny transparent dart sticking into her neck, penetrating through her suit.

Duchess Hornet felt her entire world come crashing down on her and everything around began to slow. Her vision became clouded and she had trouble breathing. It was extremely disorienting. She could hear an angry pain-filled roar behind her and the feel of hands on her shoulders didn't shake her. She could distinctly hear the 'Pegasus, get us out of here!'.

But her eyes remained on the unmoving body of Ladybug as a bigger, more muscular assassin carelessly threw her unconscious body over his shoulder. A portal opened up behind the stoic, emotionless woman and the last thing Chloé saw was the bright green flash and the sound of pained anguish.

* * *

  


In the very beginning of their partnership, Plagg had explained to Adrien that the Black Cat was more emotionally driven than most miraculi. Chat Noir's powers were built on the foundation of Intent and Control.

For example, when a Black Cat uses Cataclysm, the rules of Intent and Control are brought into the situation. Say you want to cataclysm a bus, if you have the intention to turn the bus to ashes, the bus will turn to ashes. However, if you just intend to make the bus lose all control, then only the part of the bus will lose control and everything will go haywire, but the bus will still remain standing. All of this can be done with a good amount of control so no collateral damage occurs.

If a chosen was calm and in a good mental state, everything should be smooth. But.... if the chosen happened to be in a blind rage and loses all control.... well....

It wouldn't be the first time a Black Cat leveled a city on their own, from what Plagg always told him.

Currently, the idea sounded appealing to Chat Noir.

Chat Noir's entire being shook with various different emotions, the main being rage and concern. The moment Ladybug fell, all hell had broke loose. His scream of rage had became more of a beastly roar of bloodlust. 

A dark aura surrounded him and he saw many assassins cowering, some even retreating. He could feel the claws of his predecessors to destroy them all, he could even feel Plagg simmering in a dark rage in the centre of their merged soul.

Chat Noir's eyes glowed a bright acidic green as his aura grew darker and stronger. Many assassins had opened fire on him but even before the bullets reached him, they turned to dust.

Chat thought he was invincible as he teared through the assassins until an exact replica of the dart that took out Ladybug pierced through his suit into his thigh. He ripped it and threw into the eye of another assassin. 

But soon, he began to falter in his step and as his eye lids grew heavy. The last thing he saw was the green flash of a portal opening up and Talia walking toward him before his world went dark.

* * *

Viperion was horrified when Ladybug went down. His horror grew when he saw Chat Noir's reaction. The dark aura that surrounded his friend pulsed and trickled through the air like shadows and Luka felt himself grow a little fearful.

But what broke him was when they finally got Adrien down.

He had to stop this from happening.

" Second ch-"

He was cut off from finishing the phrase when a hand grasped his wrist. 

" Don't do it"

" Bunnyx?", Viperion said surprised," Wha-".

" Trust me on this V, don't second chance this", Bunnyx pleaded.

" But Bug and Chat-"

" They'll be fine in the long run", Bunnyx said.

" You think them being kidnapped is being fine?!", Viperion hissed.

" No I don't. Please this benefits all of us if we continue down this timeline".

" Bunnyx-"

" Trust me on this, please Luka", Alix pleaded.

Luka stared at her before staring back at Trocadero, where a seemingly semi-conscious Chat Noir was dragged the portal along with a still unconscious Ladybug.

Friends he had the power to save. 

" This is best future for everyone, Luka. You have to believe me", Alix said quietly.

Adrien and Marinette, his friends who he could save because he had the power to change events. Adrien who was slowly beginning to warm up to the rest of Pariah Colony. And Marinette, ex crush and greatest confidant.

They'll be alone.... just like they had been since the very beginning. It didn't sit well with him. He wanted to change this. And yet....

" I do believe you", Viperion said quietly before briskly walking past before taking a pause," This better be worth it".

" I promise you that it is", Bunnyx said reassuringly.

Viperion didn't look quite convinced. But didn't vocally disagree. He merely sighed before leaving.

Bunnyx watched him leave and felt her stress relieve itself. She takes her umbrella and opens up a time portal before staring up the sky.

" You better be worth this, Damian Wayne", Bunnyx said quietly before going through her time portal, Paris returning to silence as if their saviours hadn't been kidnapped.

**Author's Note:**

> Up next is Damian.
> 
> Any questions you have regarding the story, feel free to ask. I hope you enjoyed reading this. Stay safe!


End file.
